William Tolan/FOXNews.com A stone sarcophagus beneath Sheikh Soubi

Cameramen filmed inside tombs that were recently discovered in this Sahara Desert oasis and broadcast live footage as Dr. Zahi Hawass, the Egyptian government's chief archaeologist, pried open the 3rd Century B.C. stone coffins of a man and a small child, revealing their well-preserved, dark gray mummified remains.

But when Hawass, accompanied by actor Bill Pullman, opened the third sarcophagus belonging to the 5th century governor of Bahariya, the heavy stone casket yielded only dust, a few bones, and a collection of small statues and amulets that had been placed alongside the dead official to assist him in the afterlife.

"The mummy deteriorated," Hawass said. He estimated that water from the oasis had probably seeped into the subterranean tomb over the years, dampening the burial chamber and causing the mummy to decay.

But even though the ravages of time robbed the broadcast of a dramatic climax, Hawass called the discovery of the governor's tomb "incredible."

"This is a major discovery," he said.

William Tolan/FOXNews.com In many places, the plaster painted over the sandstone walls has crumbled

The governor, whose name was Djed Khonso Ankh Euf, ruled over the Bahariya oasis during the 26th Dynasty, a period that dates back to 500 years before the birth of Christ, when Libyan overlords ruled Egypt.

His tomb, deep within an underground catacomb, was decorated with brightly colored hieroglyphics that told the story of his life, his death and his passage to the afterlife. His human-shaped sarcophagus was inscribed with his name, his official titles and figures of Osiris and Isis, the ancient Egyptian deities of the underworld. Hawass estimated that the lid alone weighed 12 tons.

The artifacts that Hawass scooped from piles of dust inside included statues depicting the god Horus, who accompanied the dead to the afterlife, as well as figurines of a bird and a cobra to protect the body against grave robbers. Hawass also found a small clay vessel containing shiny gold amulets.

Hawass said the tomb's archaeological significance lay in its vivid depiction of the governor's times, when the kingdom's Libyan rulers imitated the styles of Egypt's most celebrated periods. The broadcast showed the walls of Djed Khonso's tomb painted with vivid scenes from the sacred texts of both the Old Kingdom, some 2,000 years earlier, and the more recent 15th Century B.C. New Kingdom.

William Tolan/FOXNews.com Only in a few places can one stand upright in the tomb

"So we have imitation of the two golden ages of Egypt," Hawass said.

The governor's tomb was an unexpected discovery during Hawass' excavations of a vast Greco-Roman necropolis in Bahariya, believed to contain some 10,000 mummies. That makes it the largest collection of mummies ever found and ranks it among the most extraordinary archaeological finds in Egypt's history.

Adding to the uniqueness of the mummy find is the fact that the tombs uncovered so far are completely intact.

With TV cameras following him, the thick-set Hawass grunted and perspired as he crawled through narrow underground passages to show catacombs filled with scores of mummies dating back to 300 B.C. In one room, where Bahariya's wealthiest residents were entombed, the mummies had casings gilded with finely drawn faces. The dead persons depicted on the cases were shown wearing the Greek and Roman styles of the time — curly or braided hair and white toga-like robes.

Meanwhile, Fox reporter Lisa Guerrero descended into another tomb where Bahariya's less wealthy residents were buried. Wrapped simply in linen — like the mummies of Hollywood's horror films — many of them had deteriorated into skeletons.

William Tolan/FOXNews.com The colors of the wall paintings are still vibrant after 2,700 years

But the tombs also contained many artifacts that confirmed Bahariya's reputation in ancient times as the Napa Valley of Egypt. Guerrero held up pottery vessels that contained the remains of dates — used to make date wine, which was placed in the tombs to give the dead something tasty to drink in the afterlife.

"This is one of the most important excavations that we have made," Hawass said. "And this is the first time that a live TV program has showed the opening of an intact tomb."

In the 19th century, a popular European parlor activity for British, French and Italian treasure hunters, was to bring back mummies that would then be opened before guests after dinner, providing an evening's entertainment. Tonight's live broadcast and synched online efforts added a high-tech dimension to an enduring fascination with the mysteries of ancient Egypt.